7 lawn alternatives that don't need to be mowed
Among dacha dwellers there is an opinion that the most carefree option to equip the plot is to sow it with grass. But it is not so.
It's not easy to care for a lawn, and in some places - in the shade or in waterlogged areas - it probably won't grow. Here are some alternatives that are easy to maintain and often cheaper.
Clover
Price: $3 for a bag of 0.5 kg - this can sow 3 acres.
Clover is hardy, disease and trampling resistant and fills in gaps quickly.
Clover is often added to lawn mixtures, but you can sow your lawn with clover alone. It is a perennial plant that naturally blooms in June-July, but special lawn varieties bloom longer - from May to August.
- *Suitable for playgrounds, where it is difficult to trample, and slopes - clover roots strengthen them. Grows quickly and fills the whole space, leaving no chance for weeds. Watering is necessary only after planting, and then - it will survive on its own. It does not need fertilizer and aeration.
It is a mellifer - attracts insect pollinators. If you are afraid of bees, buy microclover - a low-growing and non-flowering variety, which in addition does not need to mow.
Any clover enriches the soil with nitrogen, so it is often sown in the vegetable garden to restore the soil after a busy season
Minuses. Likes the sun, so it grows worse in the northern part of the plot or behind buildings. Slippery after rain because it accumulates moisture - you can slip.
Groundcover plants
Price: from $1 per bush on Amazon.
It is more common to plant more than one groundcover, but to create compositions of several or to combine them with paving stones or decorative mulch - as here.
They are low-growing - up to 20 cm tall - creeping plants that densely cover the ground. They have beautiful leaves of different colors and textures, and many also bloom.
Thyme, cleanses and other succulents, as well as flowering plants such as phlox, alyssum and Rosanna geraniums, grow well in open sunny areas or in semi-shade. Stonecrop, liverwort, creeper, creeping creeper and periwinkle can withstand shading.
Plus. You can plant shaded areas, under trees and shrubs, where the lawn grows worse or it is inconvenient to take care of it. Thanks to unusual shapes and blooms look more interesting than grass: you can create patterns from plants of different colors and textures.
Minuses. Plants cannot be walked on much: ground covers are more delicate than lawn grass and can be easily trampled. In playgrounds, paths or recreation areas, it is better to plant trampling-resistant mint verbena, sedum, or vetch.
Some groundcover plants, such as vetch or purgatives, grow quickly and take over the available space - they can spread to neighboring beds or flower beds.
The problem with montane verbena is that it is aggressive: it quickly spreads over the plot. It's also hard to trample.
Meadow grasses
Price: from $1 per m².
A meadow grass mixture contains many flowering plants and is most picturesque in June and July.
Unlike ordinary garden lawns, meadow lawns consist of a mixture of ornamental grasses, herbs and flowers. Among the green grass there are bells, poppies, cornflowers - you get a blooming field.
Pluses. Resistant to drought, heat, disease, pests and attracts beneficial insect pollinators. Only needs to be mowed twice a year, in spring and fall.
Minuses. It looks like a meadow - tall flowering grasses, so it is inconvenient to walk on such a lawn. It is better to sow meadow grasses under trees, and for a playground or barbecue area to make a low-growing cover, for example, from clover.
Irish moss
Price: from $3.5 per bunch of seedlings.
Irish moss is often used in compositions with groundcover plants, for example, with white alyssum.
Outwardly similar to moss, although it belongs to the carnation family. Unlike mosses, bryozoan does not tolerate shade and grows better in sunny areas or in the penumbra. It is often used to decorate stony gardens, paths and borders. Bundles are planted at a distance of 10 cm - in a couple of weeks young shoots fill these voids.
Pluses. Forms a dense, thick and uniform carpet, does not fade and calmly endures frosts. It doesn't need to be watered often.
Minuses. Before and after planting the plant should be given time. Mshanka is planted on the prepared soil without weeds, preferably mixed with sand and fine gravel. Immediately after planting water every day, when it takes root - once a week, if there is no rain.
Mshanka is not as resistant to trampling as lawn grasses: you should not play with children on such a meadow, but you can walk a few times a day.
Terrace board
Price: 1 m² of terrace board made of pine - from $8, from larch - from $13, wood-polymer - from $34. Builders will charge from $12 for turnkey installation.
For the street, it is better to choose a board that is resistant to moisture, UV radiation, temperature fluctuations and grooved - anti-slip.
The yard area can be closed with a boardwalk and organize a recreation area. Under the terrace make a lightweight foundation - on screw piles, metal, concrete or brick posts. Usually the terrace is an extension to the house and looks spectacular on the site with a difference in height.
Pluses. To make it easy to care for the terrace, you can choose wood-polymer or antiseptic boards. The former do not need to be treated, and the latter once every few years are covered with impregnation, which protects against fungus and ultraviolet light.
Such decking can be made by yourself. Terrace board serves for a long time - up to 20 years.
Minuses. Expensive. Wooden terraces need to be periodically treated with protective solutions or painted.
A boardwalk terrace can also stand apart from the house. It is easy to make the boardwalk in any shape and place it among the trees, and if necessary, cut holes for the trees to pass through the terrace.
Paved patio
Price: from $12 for 1 m² depending on the material and about the same for labor.
A good solution for small yards and recreational areas near the house.
For paths and grounds, in addition to bulk materials such as crushed stone and pebbles, use a rigid base - paving tiles or stone. But the latter cannot simply be placed on the ground, otherwise the coating may swell or crack. Under them organize a stable base, usually made of sand and crushed stone.
Pros. Long-lasting pavement that looks aesthetically pleasing and requires almost no maintenance.
Minuses. A lot of excavation work: remove the soil layer, make a cushion of crushed stone, sand or sand-cement mixture. To separate the layers use geotextiles, and to drain water - storm drains and drainage. Sometimes a monolithic reinforced concrete base is poured under the parking lot - this is a full-fledged and expensive construction work.
Decorative mulch
Price: larch bark - from 7.5$ for 55 liters, stone chips - from 0.1$ for 1 kg. A minimum of 16 kg of stone or 50 liters of bark is needed per 1 m².
Small stone chips are also used to cover large areas.
Mulch is any material used to cover the soil: tree bark, sawdust, straw, stone chips and coconut mats. Landscape designers decorate any spaces between plants with mulch and often combine different materials, such as pebbles and wood chips.
Pluses. Decorates the voids between plants and is practical: it prevents weeds from growing, retains moisture in the soil, protects plant roots from temperature fluctuations. Chips and stone chips are more often used for decorative purposes.
Minuses. To mulch does not mix with the soil, under it put geotextile, in which they make slits for plants. This is an additional expense.
Tell and show how you have organized a recreation area at home or at your dacha?
